Michigan is a very unique state for spearfishing due to the vast amount of Lakes we have and the diversity of underwater topography that are associated with them. At MSA we are here to be a resource to help new and experience spearos to be safe, ethical, and selective. If you're new to the sport or new to the state here is a synopsis of spearfishing in Michigan, if your questions aren't answered here feel free to contact us! Before getting in the water update yourself on Michigan state regulations and legal spearing species. A link to these rules can be found on our home page (carp picture).
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Spearfishing
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"If you like to fish or hunt and swim underwater, then spear fishing is for you. Both the diver who hunts for dinner, and the purist who lays on the ocean bottom for minutes waiting to see just one trophy sized striper or white sea bass agree the challenge of locating and staking fish in its own environment is intoxicating. Besides providing fresh fish for dinner, spearfishers experience an intense communication with the underwater world. Living in the moment, spearfishers see and feel what casual observers miss – the ocean’s pulse, subtle changes in currents and whole host of interactions among the sea’s creatures. Imagine swimming for hours with manta rays and whale sharks, coming bill-to-speargun with colorful sailfish and giant marlin, observing the thrill of spearing and landing a record game fish.​" - *Freedive by Maas & Sipperly, Bluewater Freedivers Ventura CA 1998 – out of print- freedive.net
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Safety
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The very first thing you need as a new diver is to find a trusted partner, as safety is always first. Check out the Michigan Freedivers and spearo groups on Facebook (click link ) or contact us if you need to find a like minded partner. Every year divers fall victim to shallow water black outs and without a trusted partner in close proximity many of those incidents become fatal. Along with your partner always have a dive flag within a 100 feet of yourself to notify boaters of your position. while in the water always be conscious of where your spear is pointed and what is behind the fish you're looking to shoot. There are accidents every year in the country where somebody shoots their dive partners, so be cautious. These are very basic safety tips and we highly recommend getting proper safety training, please consider taking an fii (free dive instructors international) class. Taking a class will make you a more confident and safe diver. Always remember no fish is worth your life, don't push yourself, and NEVER dive alone!
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Breath hold:
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People always want to know how to improve their breath hold, the best advice I have to new spearos is to get into the water and get comfortable. You do not need to push yourself, just learn to relax on the surface, relax with the increased pressure underwater, and learn to comfortably equalize at shallow depths. Did I mention to be relaxed and not to push yourself? A long breath hold is not exclusive to freak athletes, its possible for anybody to be a successful free diver and it all stems from experience and comfort in the water. Increased breath holds will come and just being comfortable and experienced will allow you to achieve close to 1 minute dives. If you seek further breath hold training we do no recommend online training. We suggest reputable, in person, professional training from classes such as those hosted by (fii). They will teach you proper techniques for safety, improve your breath hold past 3 min and allow you to dive to depths of 20 meters (66ft).
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Dive locations:
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Michigan has so many lakes its impossible for us to dive them all, however, as a general rule the father north you head the better the visibility. That holds true for both inland lakes and the Great Lakes. Its possible to get 50+ feet of visibility in Lake Michigan north of Ludington. Its also true that many inland lakes don't have more than 3 feet of viz. Many times it is a trial by error situation to find a lake with decent visibility that holds fish. Generally diving in one of the Great Lakes provides more species opportunities and deeper diving. I've found that typically inland lake diving is less than 20 feet and the main species targeted are carp and gar. Much like Michigan's weather there aren't a lot of generalities associated between lakes in our great state. Of course the month, algae blooms, water temps, and wind directions all effect water visibility and fish activity. In Lake MI you can find almost any legal species of fish and dive depth of 10ft to hundreds of feet and still find fish. I mostly dive in Lake Michigan, to find fish such as Drum (sheepshead), carp, and sucker just find an area with structure. This can be a rock pile, a pier, a breakwall, shipwreck, or steep shoreline. If you don't want to take the time to explore and you want to for sure shoot fish find a pier extending out into a Great Lake, fish will be there. As far as fish activity goes every lake is a little different as well but in general Drum move in when the water gets warm (June-September), carp are around all year, and the whitefish move in early December.
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Gear
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"Skindiving [spearfishing] gear is the passport to the marvelous universe underwater. The facemask clears vision exposing a vast enchanting world more colorful than any aquarium. Fins transform the legs into dolphin-like appendages. Wetsuits give a whale-like skin, feeling warm and safe. The weight belt helps achieve true weightlessness. Thus equipped, the skin diver is almost a fish." *Freedive by Maas & Sipperly, Bluewater Freedivers Ventura CA 1998 – out of print- freedive.net
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Wetsuits
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Equipment for spearing gets complicated with all the brands out there. Most spearfishing companies put out great products and really care about the success and safety of the spearos. In Michigan we obviously get a huge variety of water temps and a wetsuit can be a key piece of equipment. For free diving we use two piece open cell suits because they are warmer and allow for more mobility and stretch compared to normal scuba suits. The only downside is that open cell suits is that some durability is sacrificed compared to scuba suits. From late June-August you may be able to get away with a thin lycra wetsuit or even board shorts. For someone serious about spearing more than a few nice days a year you will need a wetsuit, typically a 3mm open cell 2 piece suit should be good for May-September. For those of us that dive 9 months out of the year you will need a 5mm open cell 2 piece suit at the minimum. If you choose a 7mm suit you will not get cold, but you will be hot in summer and early fall if you want to use it as your all purpose suit. Generally speaking the thicker the suit there is less mobility and stretch available for chest expansion. I personally use a 5mm suit and occasionally overheat in the peak of summer but for the most part this suit is extremely versatile and I'm comfortable from April-December. Dive socks and gloves follow the same rules and thickness generally matches your wetsuit. If you have a 3mm suit and get a little cold try thicker gloves as most heat is lost through hands, feet, and head. Gloves and socks are not necessary in the summer but very beneficial in spring and summer. Remember with gloves the thicker the glove the less mobility.
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Weighting and belts
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Weighting yourself is a very dangerous part about diving, it is so common for people to over weight themselves while spearing. If you ever have a blackout you want to float to the surface not sink. While diving you want to be able to comfortably float on the surface and keep your heart rate low, if you're struggling to stay afloat and treading water you will waste energy and raise your heart rate limiting you breath hold capability. Start with light weight and work your way heavier with experience and comfort. When looking for a belt to hold your weights make sure it can be easily released with one hand if case of any emergency.
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Spearguns
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Choosing a speargun is the most exciting part for first time spearos. There are many brands out there and prices range from $100-$2000. Higher quality guns will be more balanced, have less recoil, and generally be more durable. Almost any speargun on the market will be able to kill fish, so there is no need to go top of the line to start. There are also many different styles of guns: rail guns, euro guns, american guns, roller guns, open muzzle, closed muzzle, open track, closed track, etcs. If you have specific questions about styles of guns feel free to message us. Generally speaking for Michigan, most divers use rail guns ranging from 60cm to 90cm. If you're into more traditional methods there are also pole spears and Hawaiian slings which would be the equivalent to using a traditional long bow for hunting. There is too much info to hit all the details of guns but feel free to message us with any other questions.
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Fins
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Free diving fins are not a necessity for new spearos, any swimming fin will work when you're first getting started. Once you have gotten comfortable in the water and developed a good finning technique you can begin to look into long fins. Just like everything else there are many different brands and qualities you can buy. fins come in plastic, composite, fiberglass, and carbon fiber. Quality of the fin increases in that order. The long freedive fins when compiled with proper finning technique are used to propel a diver farther with less effort allowing less oxygen consumption and therefore longer dives.
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